South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-06-10
TURKISH WOMEN.
The Life Led BY Oriental
Wives and Maids.
Devoid Of Coaiugal or Maternal Affections,
But Vain a7d Fond Of Eating

The Turkish woman, says Emile JUL
lard in the Cosmopolitan. is neither
sentimental nor corrupt, neither passion
ate nor cold, neither good nor wicked;
but she is gourmand. She ie fond OF
sugar-plums, comliturcs. sherbct, and
especially tobacc, which she rolls into
slender cigarettes, and the smoke Of
which she swallows with delight. She
Is inquisitive, indiscreet, greedy for
things that glitter-rings necklaces,
bracelets, and heads. She is vain but
NO. coquettish. Indeed. Of what use
would coque,ry be to herr From the
age Of thirteen or fourteen she belongs
to husband, who is her master, OF
rather her owner, whom she obeys pas
sively, whom she fears but does not
love.
Conjugal friendship and love arc two
sentiments almost unknown to Turkish
women, which makes me believe that
they are rather the product OF education
and association than OF instinct. Nj.
ternal love, which is the most tenacious,
the most spontaneous, the most sublime
OF all terrestrial love, seems to be extinc.
in the hearts Of many Turkish mothers,
for they do not scruple to leave THEN
children to die the moment they see the
light of day. This is ono OF the causes.
but 1t is not the Only one, of the rapid
diminution Of the Turkish race.
Formerly, Turkish women w.rc for
hidden to receive medical attendance,
even if they were at the gates of death.
They were attended by midwivcs, who
fought the disease by means of incanta-
tions and mystic operations, rather than
by pharmaceutical remedies and medical
care. To-day. physicians, especially if
they are not young men, are admitted
without scruplc to the bedside of sick
women; or more often they arc usually
left alone with patients. Then, strange
to say. the women are only incenscd
when they arc obliged to uncover their
faces. However" said a physician Of
scraglio to me, "when one Of the two
is uncomfortable, it is always the physi-
cian."
1t is quite useless for Turkish girls to
grow up, get married, and become
mothers of families; they always remain
children. They have impressions rather
than feelings; they are the subjects of
caprice, not viii. During her long resi-
dencc in Constantinople, Nine. Julliard
was often invited to tho harems, and
even stayed some days in that of Gener-
nj Dervish Paska, the famous defender of
Batoum. The four wives and the ward
of the pasha behaved themselves toward
their guest like little school girls at play.
They smelt of her, touched her, felt of
the cloth Of her clothes. smoothed her
hair, sat down on their knees, asked her
thousand puerilc questions, begged her
to ask the tchclcbi (thc mastery TO give
them bon -bons, shcrbet, rings, and
other jewelry. If they showed them.
selves very jealous of the pasha, this was
hardly because they wished to obtain
his love and caresses, but the presents
that he made to some rather than to
others, the cakes that he brought to this
one rather than to that one.
When he appeared among them, they
stopped their laughing and playing, and
went, as though ashamed, to sit on a
divan or on cushion, like school chill
drcn caught in mischief They often
INDUCED in quarrels among themselves
which degencratcd into fights, in which
teeth and finger-nals did good service.
They dined together, sitting with their
legs crossed on mats around n conner
tray loaded with food, which emitted
an odor OF tallow not very appetizing.
Sometimes the pasha ate with them. and
restrained by kindly corrections their
outbursts OF gluttony. They thrust
their fingers into the dishes without
hesitation, then conveyed them to their
mouths, performing this backward and
forward movement with n reoulor;tv
that bespoke long practice. But in
obedience TO the order Of the pasha.
they had fork, spoon, and plate placed
before their guest, and they compelled
her--a useless 'precaution by the wayi-
to help herself before they began their
manual exercise of from dish to mouth
and from mouth to dish.